Great Outdoor Blog

Driving to the trailhead I wondered if we’d packed enough cold gear. Snow had been reported at Wilburn Ridge with an overnight low in the 20’s. My buddy and I have a crew of eight high school kids with a collective playlist of nearly 10K songs but did they pack enough insulation?

My concerns are dismissed once we reach Grayson Highlands. Our midnight arrival stirs a Park Ranger who provides an adequate shake-down of the party. She’s impressed to see a group of young people, 4 girls, 4 guys and two dads, out in the woods. She also cautions us to be careful – “Deer season opens tomorrow at sunrise.”

After finding gloves, hats and headlamps we hoist our packs and head north to connect with the Appalachian Spur Trail and over Wilburn Ridge. Our party carries a variety of packs – the majority being Osprey Packs. Two boys lead the way as they’ve hiked this area with their Scout Troop. The girls help with reading the map. Everyone is excited to get on the trail and enjoys the night hike experience. Jokes are passed down the line as we discuss who brought along a blaze orange vest and who brought the antlers.

I kid you not, a rifle shot awakens me just before dawn. Unable to return to sleep I decide to crawl out of a cozy MSR Carbon Reflex 2 and explore the area where we’d chosen to camp. The shelter was occupied when we passed it at 1am so we hiked a bit further before pitching our tents. The babbling of Big Wilson Creek has me digging out the Platypus Gravity Works (video demo here) as I do my best to appear non-deer-like making my way to the creek. Water filters as I fire up the MSR Pocket Rocket and take in the sunrise with a cup of coffee.

The next two days with the crew were great. These young people share a profound connection with this wilderness and each other. Away from our busy city life we can live in the moment – present and connected to the beauty all around. We talk about how the most difficult part of the trip is returning home. They want to do this again – soon – and bring along more friends. We all have a new sense of adventure – maybe it comes from the from the night hike, or stream crossing, or maybe from meeting the hunter who shared his story – but that sense of adventure remains with us long after we return home. Kids these days are eager to get outside and share that adventure with others. They are the next generation of conservationists and it was a privilege to join them on this trip.

Thanks to the folks at Outdoor Sports Marketing and my skillet carrying friend, Blake, who help to make this and many other Scout and Youth adventures possible.

Congratulations to our winners! Trusty’s random generator has selected the following names from those who clicked through the Nov 10th email featuring Trusty’s Holiday Gift Guide. With so many great gifts to choose from we thought the best gift would be a $50 gift card so that winners can select the gift that fits their wish list.

Winners have been contacted via email

Geoffrey Hird
Kary Hill
John Bort
Greg Selzer
Karen Johnson
Lisa Moore
Richard Parker
Angelina Maletto
Chuck Brown
Jenn Feltis

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY®
The 2nd annual Small Business Saturday® is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.

On November 26, we ask you to Shop Small at you favorite local stores and help fuel the economy. When we all shop small, it will be huge.

by Amanda, Charlotte staff

The staff from our Charlotte shop, sponsored in part by our friends at Ex Officio, was able to spend a chilly but exciting morning working together at the Team Development Center of the US National Whitewater Center on 30 October. Tucked into the woods above the man-made river, the Team Development Center offers 22 different ground-level Low Elements and a series of High Elements 32 feet above the ground.

Eleven staff members, whose tenures with GOPC range from 12 years to just one day, faced a variety of team and individual challenges. Our day began as the sun came up on a brisk, 30 degree morning, but we are fortunately all familiar with the advantages of good layering. Staying warm was the least of the challenges we faced!

After a short game to get the blood moving, our first challenge was the “Team Triangle,” which involved moving all eleven team members from a platform, around a steel cable strung between trees, and back to the platform, without touching the ground. As a group, we jumped right in, tackling the problem head-on and developing our strategy as we went. We had only one slight mishap (a team member touched the ground) with the consequence that another person was blindfolded for the remainder of the task. The challenge was one we all enjoyed, and were happy to see our well our trust and communication skills helped us succeed.

Next up was another of the center’s Low Elements, the “Nitro Swing.” This challenge involved moving each team member, one at time, on to individual platforms using a rope swing. Complicating matters, we were also challenged to move a cup of water from one side to the other. In this case, our challenge was to work together to enable every one to achieve the same goal. It was quickly apparent that each of us has different needs, and required a slightly different approach to the challenge. We were successful because we were able to acknowledge our own individual strengths and weaknesses, and use them to achieve our group goal. Things were a little dicey as we moved the water from one side to another, but we managed it without spilling a drop.

Feeling pretty confident in ourselves, we moved next to the High Elements. Properly harnessed up, we split into teams of 3 and 4 to move together across steel cables through a variety of obstacles. The high elements challenged us to navigate around and over various obstacles, leap from platform to platform, and do it all balanced on a steel cable 32 feet above the forest floor. We quickly realized that the key to success is our ability to rely on one another for support, both literally and mentally. Even though a few of us took some spills, everyone managed to reach the zip line at the end of the high ropes course and enjoy a quick ride back to the ground.

Angie, who was our facilitator for the day, and her assistant Gill were enthusiastic supporters, and with their encouragement we were all successful. The challenges we faced together at the Team Development Center reinforced for us the importance of communication and team work, and certainly renewed our sense of team spirit.

>> Learn more about the USNCW with this virtual tour

Trip photos on FLICKR

Customers of Great Outdoor Provision Co. can get more than a great deal on outdoor gear this month – they can help provide a coat to a neighbor in need.

During the last week of October the locally owned Great Outdoor Provision Co. reaches out to community missions and delivers coats for the homeless during their 7th Annual Great Outdoor Coat Swap.  Customers who donate a clean used jacket will receive a 20% discount off the regular price of selected outerwear  Last year’s Coat Swap delivered nearly 2500 jackets to the needy. Mountain Hardwear has provided support for this effort.

“I’ve always known our customers are special.” comments Tom Valone, owner.   “Every time we sponsor a charity drive our and customers come through, I’m reminded why I love this business.”

Bruce Storer, director of development for the Raleigh Rescue Mission in downtown Raleigh, remarks on last year’s Coat Swap and says “It’s a significant gift. This is the time of year that we really need coats as well as food and blankets. We’re blessed to have this relationship with Great Outdoor Provision Co.”

If you want to do more—or are looking for volunteer opportunities this season—local shelters and missions always need warm clothes, blankets and food during the winter. Here’s a list of rescue missions in the seven communities we do business in; you can call them or check their Web sites for the best way to help:

• RALEIGH: Raleigh Rescue Mission
• CHAPEL HILL: Orange Congregations in Mission
• CHARLOTTE: Charlotte Rescue Mission
• GREENSBORO: Greensboro Urban Ministry
• WINSTON-SALEM: Samaritan Ministries
• WILMINGTON: Good Shepherd Center
• GREENVILLE: Greenville Community Shelter

The annual Coat Swap program is one of several philanthropic efforts the Great Outdoor Provision Co. and its customers help support. Others includeHabitat for Humanity, local land trusts, Scouting (both boy’s and girl’s organizations), and the N.C Wildlife Federation.

Founded in 1972, the Great Outdoor Provision Co. is a family-owned retailer of clothing and gear for outdoor recreation enthusiasts and has seven stores in North Carolina cities. Learn more at www.greatoutdoorprovision.com

We carry TOMS Shoes because they are a great casual shoe that helps improve the lives of children around the world. With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need.

On September 24 Trusty got together with local artists in the Raleigh area and threw a Style Your Sole party so that our customers could express themselves and help children in need by customizing their own blank, canvas TOMS.

The day features local artists Matt Butler, Nina Wu, Paul Friedrich, Chris Williams, Julie Pitts, AdAm Peele along with local bluegrass music provide by Backcounty Still.

Enjoy the pictures from the day.

UPDATE: We’ve come up with another chance to win a $50 Gift Card.
How to enter: “Tag” Great Outdoor Provision Co. and share this video on your wall post. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVJ4wR2QpFg

Once you tag/share you will be entered into a random drawing for a $50 gift card. Contest will run through til 3pm next Friday, Oct 21st at which time we will select the winner.
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Thanks to great customers like you we’ve been named “Best Outdoor Store” in Raleigh by “The Destination Guide“. The Destination Guide is holding a contest to see which video best represents Raleigh. Please watch this short video to “Vote” for Trusty. Thanks!

MULETrivia: Answer for a chance to WIN a $100 Gift Card
What was the square footage of our 1st shop in 1972? (mentioned in the video)
To enter: Post the answer to our Facebook page. We’ll randomly select a winner Friday, Oct 14, 2011 @ 3pm.

This Wednesday night we are showcasing a collection of vintage Patagonia clothing which dates back to the company’s founding. Great Pacific Iron Works, short sleeve rugby shirts, original “original” stand up shorts. These items will eventually be on sale to benefit our good friend, the late Paul Marsh. Stop by the Cameron Village shop for the party on Wednesday night.

>> More on the event

Photo © Dr. David Blevins, all rights reserved

Research Triangle Park, NC – This past weekend the North Carolina Wildlife Federation presented the 48th Annual Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards to 20 winners dedicated to conservation in North Carolina.

The following remarks accompanied the presentation of the Governor’s Business Conservationist of the Year award to Tom Valone, owner of Great Outdoor Provision Co.

“Walk the talk. That’s a phrase that means practicing what you preach, leading by example, and letting your actions spread your message. For two decades, the Great Outdoor Provision Co. has walked the talked when it comes to meaningful green business practices. In fact, the Great Outdoor Provision Company walks the talk, paddles the talk, climbs the talk, hikes the talk, fly-casts the talk, and camps the talk. With seven stores in North Carolina and a legacy of giving back, the Great Outdoor Provision Co. is for many many customers as much a beloved part of the state’s landscape as a mountain view or Piedmont waterfall. Under the leadership of local owners Tom and Becca Valone, the stores have celebrated Land Trust Day for 20 years, donating profits back to local land trusts. The company provides trail crew assistance every month for the Mountains-to-the-Sea trail, supports Boy Scouts and Girl Scout Programs, helped establish the N.C. State Parks Junior Ranger Program, and contributes to conservation groups from the Wildlife Federation to the Conservation Trust for North Carolina, another half-dozen local lands conservancies, the Audubon Society, Coastal Conservation Association, and more.

The Great Outdoor Provision Co. puts its money where the wild is, and where it can inspire North Carolinians to do the same. For that kind of leadership, it is the 2010 Governor’s Business Conservationist of the Year.”

Awards winners are nominated by the citizens of North Carolina and decided upon by a committee of scientists, environmental educators, and conservation activists. “This awards program brings together a remarkably diverse group of conservationists to highlight the `good news’ about wildlife conservation in North Carolina,” said Gestwicki, “Our primary focus is to applaud and honor these people who work so hard for wildlife and the air, water, land that they and all of us depend upon”.

Friday, September 9
7-10pm
Hanes Brand Theatre – Winston-Salem, NC

You don’t have to journey to Banff each fall to see these exciting films! Great Outdoor Provision Co. will host Banff Mountain Film’s Radical Reels – a special screening of the wildest high-adrenaline films entered in the Banff Mountain Film Festival. So many action films were being submitted to the film festival that they could not fit into the regular screenings, resulting in the creation of the hugely successful Radical Reels evening presentation.

The established Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour has been thrilling audiences since 1981. Most World Tour screenings include a range of different themes (adventure sports, environment, mountain culture, heritage, etc.) and styles (action-filled shorts; longer, more comprehensive films; amateur and professional productions; etc.). The Radical Reels Tour presentations incorporate all these elements, but the focus is on dynamic, high-adrenaline films featuring sports such as skiing, climbing, kayaking, BASE jumping, snowboarding and mountain biking. These activities continue to be included on the World Tour, but Radical Reels Tour is for audiences who prefer all action films.

The Radical Reels Film Tour visits approximately 19 states and provinces, reaching over 35 different locations. Most screenings take place in the September to October and February to May time periods.